Zoroastrianism
(sometimes called less correctly 'fire worshipping'), one of the world's
oldest religions, first began in Azerbaijan. In the ancient language of
the land, 'Azer' means 'fire', and no other name seems quite as appropriate
for Azerbaijan, since it once was the land of Zoroastrianism, where fire
has an important role, even today, fire is still part of the country's
symbols.

This religion was founded in
by the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra). The doctrines
preached by Zoroaster are preserved in his metrical Gathas (psalms), which
form part of the sacred scripture known as the Avesta. Zoroastrianism
is also called Zarathustrism, Mazdaism, and Parsism. Parsism is the term
used today, among the believers in India, the largest Zoroastrian society
of today.

The basic tenets of the Gathas consist
of a worship of Ahura Mazda (the "Lord Wisdom") and an ethical dualism
opposing Truth (Asha) and Lie, which permeate the entire universe. All
that is good emanates from Ahura Mazda. All evil is caused Angra
Mainyu (the "Fiendish Spirit") and his assistants. Upon death each
person's soul will be judged at the Bridge of Discrimination; the
follower of Truth will cross and be led to paradise, and the adherents
of Lie will fall into hell. All evil will eventually be eliminated on earth
in an onslaught of fire and molten metal.

Zoroaster
apparently combined two religious systems. The first is the monotheistic
worship of Wisdom and his emanations including Asha, outlined in the Gathas.
The second system describes a cult that worships Lord Ahura, the
custodian of Asha. This system is described in a portion of the Avesta
called the Liturgy of the Seven Chapters, which was composed after Zoroaster's
death. The Gathas and the Seven Chapters form part of the larger liturgy
called the Yasna. Other parts of the Yasna are the Yashts, which are hymns
to individual deities, and the Vendidad, or Videvdat, a codification of
ritual and law.

The
first Persian king to recognize the religion proposed by Zoroaster
was Kay Vishtash, and Zoroaster's ideas spread under Darius I.
Artaxerxes II (reigned 409-358 BC) also venerated Zoroastrian deities;
in his reign the first temples were probably built. Under the rule of the
Greek Seleucids (312-64 BC) and Parthian Arsacids (250? BC-AD 224), cults
of foreign gods flourished along with Zoroastrianism. The new Persian
dynasty of the Sassanids (AD 224-641) established Zoroastrianism as the
state religion of Persia and it also spread to central asia.

However Persia was gradually converted
to Islam after its conquest by the Arabs in the 7th century. Nevertheless,
and against all odds Zoroastrianism survived in the mountainous regions
of Yazd and Kerman. Today Zoroastrianism counts about 150,000 in
India,
50,000 in Iran, and perhaps 50,000 in the rest
of the world.

There
are 5 daily prayers, and ablutions are performed in before all of these.
The believer becomes religiously active from the age of 7. When a believer
dies, his or her body is brought up on the Tower of Silence, where
the corpse shall be eaten by vultures, so that neither fire nor earth becomes
contaminated. Presently in Iran there are graveyards for the deceased believers,
but these are only the result of influence from the dominating Islamic
society.In
Azerbaijan you can visit a Zoroastrian temple near Baku in Surakhany.
This temple is built near the natural vents of flaming gas and has a permanent
fire. With the introduction of Islam to the area the local Zoroastrian
temples were destroyed. The exiting temple dates from the 18th and 19th
centuris and is probably built over the ruins of an older structure. Surakhany
remained a popular destination for Indian pilgrims until the revolution.
Some of the pilgrims' cells now house a wax museum, intended to introduce
the rudiments of Zoroastrianism to the uninitiated. There is another Zoroastrian
temple in a remote location near the village of Xinaliq, west of Quba.

Zoroastrianism strongly influenced Shia
islam, fostering the Sufi brotherhoods and is still present is some modern
day aspects, such as the Novruz celebrations,
which are a major holiday in Azerbaijan and several other formerly Zoroastrian
countries, and derive directly from the Zoroastrian new year feast (held
on March 21).